Brexiters Just Want The Party

It is always the trivial stories that are most interesting.  There are big economic and geopolitical consequences from Brexit but the news story that is getting the most attention on social media this morning is the commemorative 50p coin that is proposed to mark the UK's departure from the European Union.


This seems like a triffling matter, but I have a feeling that it actually gets to the heart of what is really going on in some people's heads.  I think that the real motivation for a lot of Brexiters is a big national event that brings us all together in our Britishness.  I think they are a bit like the woman who wants to get married mainly for the wedding.

And I can sort of sympathise.   I enjoy big national parties like royal weddings and jubilees.  I like getting the bunting up around the town.  Of course it relies on a shared community experience to work.  You need something big.  And leaving the EU is certainly big.

A couple of observations.   The referendum campaign itself was not especially divisive.  I don't think anybody thought leave were going to win.  Farage did come out with some provocative stuff, but he more or less had to because he had been pretty much marginalised in the press.  On the whole it was good humoured.  The atmosphere turned bad quite soon after the vote.  I think a big part of that was that remainers did not join in the rejoicing.  It wasn't enough to accept the result - which initially I for one certainly did.  We were supposed to also come around and positively support it.  After all, you can't have a big national event without a national consensus.

I think this is the real  reason for the frustration on the leave side.   They won the vote.  They deserve a victory march.  Why can't these people see that leaving the EU is a great national triumph like defeating the Armada or the battle of Trafalgar?  Shouldn't we be planning a big flag waving event to hear Big Ben sound the bongs for the last time under European vassalage?

Well it turns out that there aren't that many people who are that fussed about it.  And in fact there are a lot of people who regard themselves as European as well as British.  There simply isn't going to be a cathartic moment for the Brexiters to enjoy.  It isn't a "Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive" moment. More stop the world I want to get off.


The best they can hope for is the disruption that will flow from a no deal arrangement if that happens at least making it an eventful date.  If they really want to severe our relationship with the EU then all the work is still ahead.  Britain is deeply integrated with the continent of which it is a part.  If they want to unwind all that they've got a huge amount of grind to get through and it will take years, and quite likely decades.  And they won't be getting any cheers for their work.